Major changes looming for the X-Men franchise in the upcoming Fall of X storyline, but Marvel Comics is already looking ahead to 2024. Today at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel released a new teaser image asking "Who Are the New X-Men?"
The teaser promises that readers will be introduced to these "New X-Men" in 2024, with a preview of the team coming in November 2023. Beyond that, there's not much to go on right now. Will this team replace the one currently seen in the pages of Gerry Duggan's X-Men series? Is this the end of the current Krakoa era and the start of a brand new status quo for the franchise?
The term "New X-Men" holds special significance for the X-Men line. Marvel's flagship X-Men title was renamed New X-Men when writer Grant Morrison and artist Frank Quitely took over in 2001, ushering in a very different era for the franchise. Later, Marvel launched another volume of New X-Men focused on a younger generation of mutants.
The font used in this teaser could also be a clue as to the plot of this new storyline. It's reminiscent of 1995's Age of Apocalypse crossover. Is it a continuation of that universe? Or is this a clue that the New X-Men in question are led by Apocalypse himself, who recently returned to the forefront of the X-books after a long absence?
Let us know your theories about this teaser in the comments below.
Also at Comic-Con, Marvel teased a new X-Men one-shot called X-Men Blue: Origins #1. This issue from writer Si Spurrier and artist Wilton Santos looks to be an offshoot of the upcoming Nightcrawler-centric Uncanny Spider-Man series. This issue will provide readers with "the definitive origin story for Nightcrawler." In the process, the story will deliver new revelations about the relationship between Kurt Wagner and his mother, Mystique.
“It’s not often you get the chance to shine new light into the origins of a truly beloved character. To do so for two at once is an unprecedented privilege,” Spurrier said in Marvel's press release. “With this book, we’re breaking new ground in more ways than one. We’re walking this path with the deepest love for Nightcrawler and Mystique, and the deepest respect for the formative stories that surround them. And yet… by shifting perspective… by wondering which parts of the standard history can be trusted and which are unreliable… by climbing into the minds and memories of mother and son alike… we’re enriching their shared tale in a way that will cast fertile shadows across everything they do from now onwards. This is one of those books that will be discussed for years to come.”
X-Men Blue: Origins #1 will be released on November 29.
Elsewhere at Comic-Con, DC and Legendary revealed a crossover comic called Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong. You can also brush up on everything announced at SDCC so far.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket by following @jschedeen on Twitter.
